The GJ-11 stealth drone Photo: Screenshot from CCTV News military channel

CCTV News military channel released new footage on Monday offering a close-up, multi-angle look at the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force's GJ-11 stealth drone. It also revealed that two of the Air Force's first batch of self-trained female drone operators scored a first-round hit during the GJ-11's first live-fire strike mission. A military affairs expert explained how the design features shown in the video contribute to its stealth performance, and said the model has likely achieved combat and support capability, with technical maturity sufficiently assured.

The GJ-11, codenamed "Xuanlong," is a domestically developed tailless flying-wing drone.

The footage showed the GJ-11 up close, with details including its air intake, exhaust nozzle, landing gear and internal weapons bay doors revealing its high-stealth characteristics.

According to CCTV, the GJ-11 has an air intake on top of its fuselage, a flattened tail section, and all weapons carried internally in a belly weapons bay that can accommodate a variety of air-to-surface munitions. It offers strong stealth, long endurance and high strike accuracy, and can carry out missions including air strikes and suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD).

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Monday that the multi-angle display makes the GJ-11's distinctive stealth design clearer. Its dorsal air intake is a design that enhances stealth, and its exhaust nozzle has also been treated for stealth, further improving survivability and enabling stealth-based penetration. It also uses radar-absorbing coatings to further reduce its radar cross-section.

The CCTV military channel also revealed on Monday that two post-95s drone operators Shi Xiaoran and Fu Ting are among the first batch of female drone operators trained independently by the PLA Air Force. From newcomers to skilled operators, they completed their conversion training in just five months. In the GJ-11's first live-fire strike mission, Shi and Fu worked closely with their comrades and scored a first-round hit.

A close-up look at the landing gear and internal weapons bay doors of the GJ-11 stealth drone Photo: Screenshot from CCTV News military channel

CCTV said that the GJ-11 is a pioneer and a pathfinder. In future operations, striking ground targets will be a high-risk mission, and unmanned attack aircraft can reduce losses of personnel and weapons platforms. It will become an important partner and the most effective loyal wingman for main combat aircraft.

Drone operators control the entire flight from inside a command cabin, issuing various instructions to manage the aircraft's attitude amid rapidly changing conditions. Their combat-oriented training in the cabin, tailored to mission needs, typically runs more than six hours per session, sometimes counted in days. The cabin is designed for mobile deployment: if a mission requires it, the entire cabin can be loaded directly onto a transport aircraft and sent straight to the front line, reported CCTV.

"I found that drone iteration is beyond imagination. Many scenarios that appeared in sci-fi films are already being tried in real-world applications. In future battlefields, what matters more is a smart brain's perception of the battlefield situation and precise control of equipment. None of this has anything to do with gender, only with proficiency and hours of operation," Shi was quoted by CCTV as saying.

The GJ-11 stealth attack drone was first unveiled at China's National Day military parade held in Beijing in 2019. It later made its appearance at China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (also known as Airshow China) in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, in 2021. On this occasion, the GJ-11 opened its two belly weapons bays, each holding several precision-guided bombs, Global Times reporters observed at the scene.

In November 2025, the PLA Air Force released a short film marking its 76th anniversary, revealing that the GJ-11 had entered service. The appearance marked the Air Force's official entry into a new model of manned-unmanned cooperative operations, said CCTV.

The short film also showed for the first time an aerial formation composed of the GJ-11 stealth drone, the J-20 stealth fighter and the J-16D electronic warfare aircraft. Song called it a perfect combination for breaking through enemy defenses.

A close-up look at the exhaust nozzle of the GJ-11 stealth drone Photo: Screenshot from CCTV News military channel

Song supposed that the GJ-11 had undergone extensive testing before being fielded and forming aerial formations with the J-20 and J-16D, all core tests of its performance. He noted that the GJ-21, recently showcased alongside the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan, is in fact a carrier-based variant improved on the GJ-11.

The GJ-11, as its predecessor, has ­likely achieved combat and support capability with sufficient technical ­maturity. The shift from an Air Force model to a Navy variant also shows the Air Force version's technical foundation is already mature, the expert said.

With the 16th Airshow China approaching, military commentator Zhang Xuefeng said this year's show is expected to feature new drones. Whether the GJ-11 will appear and whether it can perform formation flights with other fighters are both worth watching.

The GJ-11 is not the only advanced drone China has developed. At the V-Day military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025, China for the first time displayed multiple types of wingman drones and air superiority drones. Military affairs experts told the Global Times that some of the UAVs showcased at the parade not only have new appearances, but also embody new concepts, which could overturn the existing air combat scenarios and profoundly change the future of air combat.